RSL Family- Will Johnson

By Charles Barnard

It is the nature of sports to have rosters that frequently change. Although RSL has had a stable core of players it still hurts to watch players move on to other teams. One thing that I have noticed is that even if a former team member is now wearing a different team's jersey, they are still considered a part of the RSL Family.

There is no better example of this than Portland captain Will Johnson. Johnson was a fan favorite while he was here. Out of all the players that have left RSL, many people would say the loss of Johnson hurt the most. This was apparent by the applause he received the first time he returned with Portland to play in the Riot.

After last week's match with the Timbers I decided to head to the Portland locker room instead of the RSL one. I wanted to hear what Johnson thought of the RSL Family that still loves him so much.

I asked him the same question that I have asked everyone else to this point. What does the RSL Family mean to you?

It's special. I will always have very fond memories here. We won a championship and I think whenever you win a championship with a group of guys that bond is close. So that is a big part of it. From top to bottom the whole organization is professional, it is close and everyone knows each other. It is all about each other's family. They stick together. It is tight. It makes living here and playing for this team fun. It is a big deal to be a part of that family for sure.

I then asked him if he enjoys coming back here to play.

I love coming back here. It is great to see all the familiar faces. It is remarkable that they have been able to keep so many quality people around, on the front office side of things as well as on the field. That is a credit to the organization and that is one of the points about what it really means to be a part of the RSL Family. I love coming back here. I love competing against my friends. It is like playing with your brothers in the back yard except there is 20,000 people watching. I thoroughly enjoy it. 

The RSL Family is more than just a slogan that the team has adopted. It is real. It is real to us as fans, but it is just as real for the players on the field. I can see that more and more with each person that I talk to. It makes me proud to think that even though we have people that are no longer a part of the RSL organization,  they will still always be a part of the RSL Family.

I just want to say what a classy guy Johnson was. I came up to him after what I could tell was a really tough loss in his mind. He was frustrated by the fact that his team has yet to win on the season. After I identified myself as an RSL blogger he totally could have blown me off, but he didn't. He took time for me and really thought about what he wanted to say. I can truly see why it hurt people in the RSL organization so much to let Johnson go. It really didn't have so much to do with the loss of a great player (which he is) but the loss of such a great person.

RSL Family- Nick Rimando and Devon Sandoval

By Charles Barnard

It is quickly approaching a year since I started this series about the RSL Family. In that time it has been very interesting to see how the idea of the RSL Family has changed and grown. When I started writing, the term RSL Family was used on Twitter a little bit. The players have referred to themselves as a family for a while now. But the idea that we are all a part of the RSL Family has just continued to grow.

More and more people in the community and around the country are seeing that we have something special here. And the team is embracing it. Just look at the season ticket commercials that were released earlier this year. All of them are using the #RSLFamily. But more than that they are showing the RSL Family brings a diverse group of people together. There are not many things around that can do that.

I recently had the chance to talk to two players that are on the opposite ends of their playing career. Nick Rimando is the veteran that has been with RSL longer than any other player and has been playing in the league since 2000. On the other end of the spectrum is Devon Sandoval. Sandoval is only entering his second year for the league after being drafted last year by RSL.

I first talked to Rimando. I again asked him what I have been asking everyone else. "What does the RSL Family mean to you?"

It means all is one. We fight for each other on the field and off the field. If anyone needs anything the staff is there for you. The players are there for you. For me it means one team regardless if you are in the office, the players, or the coaches.

It's a good vibe here. Among the players inside the locker room we have the right mix of players. On the field and off the field we get along really well. The coaches are great. You just feel comfortable in this locker room.

Next I spoke with Sandoval. I asked him the same thing. I also asked if he felt what we have here with the RSL Family is something that might be unique among other teams in the league.

I felt it right when I got here. They welcomed me and made me feel at home. It is something special we have here.

I think so. I have heard that from other guys on the team that what we have here is pretty special. I am really happy to be here. I love it.

Sandoval and Rimando are at two very different points in their careers. But it is nice to see that both can recognize that something special has been built here.

At this point I think that this series is just about complete. I have talked to a very wide range of people on the topic of the RSL Family. There is one or two more people that I would like to get their perspectives. If there is any person in the RSL Family that you would like to hear from let me know.

RSL Family- Fan Chris Enger

Every family has one. You know, that somewhat kooky cousin that is so much fun to hang around. The one that always makes you laugh at family functions. The RSL Family is no different. If you were to take a poll of who this person might be for the RSL Family I would almost guarantee that Chris Enger would win.

I have known of Chris for a long time. I first ran across him on the Big Soccer message boards. Later I rediscovered him on Twitter. This is probably where he is best known (@fuegote and @RSLshow). I recently asked Chris if he would tell his RSL story.

The year was 1994. I was in high school at a student leadership retreat in the summertime and in the back ground was the World Cup. I wasn't a soccer fan at all but I watched some of it disinterestedly. I was watching to hang with the ladies. That's how my life was before Real Salt Lake. I wasn't a soccer fan. I made all the quips about Capre Suns and orange slices at half time and the diving. 

I was ignorant. Many argue I still am, but that's an article for another time.

When I heard that Salt Lake was going to have their own Major League Soccer team I was somewhat ambivalent to the news. "Meh, I may go," was my initial reaction. I am grateful for ESPN KALL 700's Bill Riley for giving me tickets to the home opener, April 16. That was my first experience with soccer in person and it was truly an eye opening experience. The singing, the chanting, the flags and the game winning goal all yanked a giant hook into my open fish lips and I became a soccer convert.

Like a young romantic after a first date, I went home after that match and wanted to learn more about this beauty that was just introduced into my life. I instantly ordered the MLS package and Fox Soccer so I could start watching more of this game that I was just growing to know and love. Season tickets were purchased, cow bells were clanged, and the rest is history.

Because of that first home game I have welcomed what feels like a second family into my life. From the front office, the players, to the fans, RSL has become somewhat of an identity. I went from saying, "here comes the soccer guy" to becoming "the soccer guy."

Becoming a passonate fan of the team has also led me to attempt to find hidden talents. I've written for soccernewsday.com as well as done a podcast for that site as well as an RSL specific podcast. Last year I ended a 7 year run working on the RSL Show podcast with Scott Black. I may start it up again I love talking about RSL that much. I was also one of the founders of the Rogue Cavaliers Brigade.

The development I've most enjoyed over the last ten years has been becoming a vocal advocate of RSL in the workplace dynamic. I've gone from being the butt of every soccer fan joke known on planet earth while being told RSL and MLS were going to fold soon to being the person co-workers talk to about the team. 

I wear many hats, but the hat most know me for is my fandom for RSL. Through thick and thin, the ups and down, I am RSLTID!

Although I have interacted with Chris for years over the internet I have not yet had the chance to meet him in person. I think it would be a blast to sit down with him one day and watch and RSL game together. He is truly one that has had a very positive influence on the RSL Family as a whole. If you don't follow him on Twitter I would strongly recommend it as he is a really funny guy.

RSL Family- RSL President Bill Manning

By Charles Barnard

Before I get started I wanted to plug a new RSL podcast that is out there, Off the Crossbar. I feel very lucky that I was asked to take part in the second episode of the show. You can check it out here.

Photo courtesy of Real Salt Lake 

As I have continued on my journey to learn about the RSL Family I have discovered one important thing. The RSL Family means many different things to different people. And that thought was echoed by the president of RSL, Bill Manning.

For this series I have talked to many different people in the RSL organization, but one person that I had not talked to was Manning. Recently I was at an RSL media luncheon and had the chance to talk with him. I appreciate him letting me take a few minutes of his time.

Like everyone one else in this series I asked him the simple question, what does the RSL Family mean to you?

When you're in it you know what it means. It's a camaraderie. It's an accountability. It's fighting for the guy next to you. There is just a belief in our organization. Look at all the players that have been here five years plus. They mean something to us. They are family to us. You don't throw your family out on the street. It does change a little bit year by year but we really believe that we are a family. And we believe our fans are part of that. 

I think the RSL family may mean something different to everyone a little bit. Everyone has their unique version of it. But in the end it is a togetherness. It is probably the one word that would describe it. I think everyone has a little variation because it is how they feel. Its that togetherness and I think that speaks to our continuity.

I then asked him if he felt what we had here is unique?

I am sure there are examples in other leagues of popular teams but I think ours in unique because we are a small market team. We came out as an expansion team and struggled a little bit. We moved into this new building and had some success. We talk about creating a core of players that are integrated as part of this family. 

We kind of grew up together in a lot of  ways. We grew up in this small market and came together to take on the world. And we really have. From Monterrey to others in Concacaf and so on. I think there is a special feeling of togetherness that comes through. When I worked at the Philadelphia Eagles, people love that team and that town. It is part of the culture of that town. They feel like a family but it just feels bigger. Here it is more intimate.   

As he was talking I think Manning hit on something very interesting. He talked about togetherness. And he was right. If you had to boil all aspects of the RSL Family down to one word, I can't really think of anything better than togetherness.

RSL Family- Kyle Beckerman & Bill Riley

By Charles Barnard

Today marks the 100th blog post for From the Upper Deck. I think it is only fitting that the 100th post marks the return of my series looking at the RSL Family. This series is probably the one that is my personal favorite on the blog.

When I had the idea to write about the family aspect of the team the thought was that it would be just one article. I would get a couple of quotes from various people, combine it all together and that would be that. It still surprises me how far away from that original idea this series has grown. I just love to hear what the RSL Family means to people. From players, to fans, to coaches, I have really learned how special this family is.

One person that I have always wanted to hear from was team captain Kyle Beckerman. He has been the face of the team since his arrival almost eight years ago. I figured that if there was one person that would have some opinions about the RSL Family, it would be him.

I had the great opportunity to talk with Kyle at RSL media day. I asked him the same question that I had asked everyone else up to this point. What does the RSL Family mean to you?

It is not just a business. I think that is different than a lot of teams. It feels like we are all in this together. We are all fighting for soccer in Utah. To make a statement throughout the country that we are different. We play good soccer out here. This is who we are. I think we are all in this fight together in a way. When you are fighting for something, it brings you together as a family. It seems like we are embracing the fans and everybody.

For me, to play for that type of team, that is what I love to play for. That is what I like to fight for. That is the passion that I have inside me. It is pretty cool that I get to play here. I think that is why so many guys have been here for so long, because we all enjoy it.

I then asked him if he felt we had something unique with the RSL Family.

Absolutely, we totally do. I don't know why it is that way here but it is and we are pretty lucky. 

At media day I also had the chance to speak with Bill Riley. Riley has been with the team doing play-by-play from the very beginning. Having seen so many highs and lows with RSL, I thought I would get his perspective as well. Again, I asked him what the RSL family meant to him.

I guess I am technically part of the family since I have been here since the beginning. I guess it means great support. I think our group of fans are as much invested in this team as any group of fans. Other places may have bigger crowds and things like that but I don't think there is a group of fans that are as invested as our fans are in the day in and day out stuff. They want to know what is going on in training. They want to know what the line up is going to be. They want to know who is out there in the transfer window. They want to know what events are coming up.

It is a tight knit group. I think our group of players and front office and organization probably do as good a job as anyone in the league of making the fans feel like they are a part of the family.

I just wanted to thank Kyle and Bill for giving me a few moments of their time. I found both their comments fascinating. I loved hearing Kyle's remarks about how he loves to play here. I think that many sporting fans in Utah worry about sports athletes not wanting to play in Utah. The Jazz have had to deal with that for a long time. That doesn't seem to be a problem with this team, and it seems like the family aspect has a big part to play in that.

I also was very interested in what Bill had to say about the fans. We see fan bases like Seattle and Portland and wonder how we compare. Everyone can see that we are different than those fan bases, but that is not a bad thing. And I love how hard the organization works at making us feel a part of the family.

We have something unique here. And I agree with Kyle that we are pretty lucky because of it.

RSL Family- Garth Lagerwey

What is a family? Your family are people that are always there for you. They are there in the good times and in the bad. They are there to pick you up when you are down. As I write this, I am down. I am still reeling from the gut punch that was the US Open Cup final. My original plan was to write a different blog post today. But I just couldn't get motivated to write anything. So I am turning to something that will lift me up. I am turning to the RSL Family.

This series of posts that I have written has brought me a lot of joy. I love to hear people's perspectives on something that I have come to truly love. The last area of the team that I have yet to hear from is the front office. Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with the General Manager of RSL, Garth Lagerwey. I asked him the same question that I have asked everyone else up to this point. What does the RSL Family mean to you? I also asked him if what we have here is unique?

Before I came out and took the job in 2007 I had been in Utah for one day. Jason (Kreis) and I went four wheeling after a game I did as a television announcer for DC United. So I knew nothing about the state and I had spent my life in the Midwest and the East Coast. I grew up in Chicago and professionally I had been in DC. I had probably a lot of the stereotypes that the East Coast types had about Utah based purely out of ignorance. The thing that has meant a whole bunch to me is that since I have moved here and got married and had a kid it has been just a wonderful experience for my family. The community has been so welcoming, so hospitable, and they have so embraced our team, it has just been a wonderful personal experience.

And to do that in the context of the coaching staff where Jeff (Cassar) Jason and I have worked together for six years. And Miles (Joseph) and CJ (Brown) a little bit less. We are so tight on the technical side as well. That has been a very cool strength to have. Jeff and Jason are guys that I have known for 20 years and that is a big deal. Actually 25 years for Jason. But it has become more than that on the technical side where we have worked together and have gone through so much together where it is now a really tight knit group. So to have both the community side and the staff side has been really neat. 

I think it is unique to have a staff the way we have a staff and I think being able to start in a smaller place like Salt Lake gave us a chance to build what we wanted to build. I think we would have had more scrutiny and harsher media attention in a larger city. Now I say that but in 2007 most people were not very kind to us. Certainly when we were hired there were not a lot of people that heard of Jason coming straight off the playing field and had never heard of me, understandably. So we felt we had a lot to prove and we turned that into a strength because we were very very hungry and we were willing to work very hard to prove everyone wrong. But I think this community enabled that to happen. The other person that deserves credit too is Dave Checketts because he is the guy that hired us and stuck with us and gave us time to develop and figure it out. Lots of things contribute to success and I am just really grateful for the progress we have been able to make. 

The thing we tried to do is to figure out what we believed in and put it on paper. Jason was the driver of that and deserves a lot of credit for that. And I viewed our job in terms of linking soccer to the community which is a general description of my job, my off the field soccer job. We tried to make the things we believed in like "the team is the star" to make a reflection in the community. We have tried very very hard to do that and I think our fans have embraced it and it has resonated and that is what is what has contributed to everyone feeling a part of this. Is it unique? I don't know if it is unique, that might be too strong of a word but it is special. 

 At this point I mentioned how I believe that the RSL Family, as we know it today, really started to form as the fans and community rallied around Andy William's wife Marcia when she was fighting leukemia.

I think that is a great point. Marcia still sits in my box every game with Andy. I still wear my wristband for her. That one means a lot to me. I am just so grateful for every day that we have Marcia. I think that is astute and probably right. It is probably no coincidence that in 2009 we needed perhaps a little something to put us over the top. And if you ever had a rough day you could always look over at Andy and see what he was going through and know that somebody has it worse. 

I think Garth hit the nail on the head when he said we have something special here. I totally agree with him. We do have something special. This fact is so much more clear to me than it was prior to me starting these blog posts.

But why? Why is it so special? One reason has to be the people involved. There are so many good people involved in the RSL Family. Brian Dunseth mentioned that when I spoke to him. He specifically talked about how all the players are just good guys. He is right. And we, as fans, can see that and it makes us love them even more. I have not interacted with one person in the whole RSL organization that has not been great to work with. Garth is no exception. He has been great to me the few times I have talked to him and just seems like a really good guy.

I am grateful for my RSL Family. Once again it has lifted me up when I was feeling down.

  

RSL Family- Jason Kreis

As I have been working on this series looking at the RSL Family, I have tried to get the views of a wide variety of different people throughout the organization. One view that I didn't have so far was someone with the coaching staff. And with all the rumors surrounding the team, I feel like today's RSL Family post is more applicable than ever.

When you talk about RSL there is one man that has really seen it all. On November 17, 2004 RSL traded for Jason Kreis making him the first player in RSL history. From player to Head Coach he has been an essential part of the club ever since.

Everything changed for the team when Dave Checketts named him Head Coach. Kreis was the one that came up with "the team is the star" motto. The genesis of the RSL Family really started with him. If there was one person's view on the RSL Family that I wanted to hear, it was his.

I had the opportunity to speak with Coach Kreis after practice on Tuesday. I asked him the same question that I have been asking everybody else up to this point. What does the RSL Family mean to you?

Its a really sentimental thing for me honestly. I have been here since day one. I think it is pretty fair to say there aren't many people involved with this club or fans of this team that have been here longer than me. Its been an amazing ride. It's been an amazing journey to go from the very very lows of the first couple of years. When I tell you low they were really really low. The unhappiness that I was living with after every single match not being able to stop thinking about how bad it was here. To the very very highs of 2009, 2010, 2011. The CONCACAF run. The championship in 2009. It seemed like we never lost in 2010. It's been amazing.

I have made no secret about my personal feeling that I think the fans have been a big big part of this from day one because even when it was it's worst we still had supportive fans cheering us on. It wasn't like some other places where one or two things go wrong and now you have the fans booing you. It has never been that way here and I think it is something that the fans, this community, this family that we call RSL should continue to remind ourselves of. That we are a supportive group, a positive group. We should try to stay away the negativity of outside influences.

It is who we are. We call ourselves a family in the locker room. We call ourselves a family in the stadium. We call ourselves a family in the office. It's just who we are. We believe we gain strength through our togetherness. We gain the ability to compete with the DP's of the world. The all-star teams of Seattle and the Galaxy and New York. We think we have the ability to compete with them because of our togetherness. 

I find these comments fascinating on so many levels in wake of the recent rumors swirling Coach Kreis. But I think the final paragraph of Kreis' comments were the ones that got to the very heart of the RSL Family. It is real. As Kreis said, it is who we are. As a team, as an organization, as a fan base: We are a family.

I don't know if Kreis is going to stay or if he is going to go. I know from looking at him while he was talking to me that he loves this team. There was no doubt about that in my mind. I wouldn't blame him if he were to leave. It might be something that he is unable to pass up. What I do know is that if he does leave, in my mind he will always be a part of the RSL Family.

RSL Family- Nat Borchers and Ned Grabavoy

As I have been doing my research on the RSL Family one of the places that it is most visible is on Twitter. Take a second and go to Twitter and search either #RSLFamily or #RSLFam. It is pretty cool to see how many people use those hash tags.

Let me give an example. Last night was the Meet the Team night for season ticket holders. Six different players got on to Twitter after the event to thanks fans for coming and used one of those two hash tags. The players believe in the RSL Family.

This was apparent when I was interviewing players after the last Portland match. Today I will share the comments that both Nat Borchers and Ned Grabavoy shared with me. I first asked Borchers about Coach Kreis' comments about being a team that is very close with each other and then his general thoughts on the RSL Family.

Borchers had this to say.

I think we have a really special group this year. Everyone has grown together from preseason until now. We have had some lows and some highs. I think everyone is really selfless on this team which is important. Everybody understands the system and they want to work for each other. There are no prima donna's running around the locker room which is huge. I think that it is a really special group.

I think Dave Checketts started that atmosphere when he built this team and started this franchise. Jason (Kreis) really thinks it is important to treat everyone like family who comes into this squad and is a part of this team in one way or another. It really helps out with the camaraderie  when you have got guys hanging off the field together doing things together. You really just buy into the message that Jason has sent to us.

Borchers makes a point that I had not really considered when it comes to the RSL Family. The roots really reach back to the formation of the team by Dave Checketts. I think it was Checketts that really had a vision of a family atmosphere for the team although I doubt he ever thought it would be the way it is now.

Grabavoy also had some interesting thoughts about the team. I asked him the same question about Coach Kreis' comments as well as if the RSL Family was something unique and different than other places around the league.

I think he (Kreis) is pretty spot on. Guys make the unselfish play, the unselfish pass knowing that it will be returned. I agree it is a great group. It is enjoyable to come in. It is easier when you win. Everyone is always happy when you win games. But it is enjoyable to come into work everyday. And it hasn't always been that way my whole career. it hasn't been that way for a lot of careers but it is very enjoyable.

I think so but I think other teams are starting that trend as well. I think our coaching staff, everyone feels comfortable talking to them and being around them. We can go to them for help. Our assistant coaches are great being personable and coming and not just asking about soccer but asking about family, about life. They really care about every player here. I think you see a connect between the coaching staff and management and the players. I don't think you get that on every team. It is a little bit separated. Some coaching staffs aren't around the players as much and talking to the players. I think that is because they are ex-players. They remember how it was. I think that helps as well.

One of the most interesting things about talking to the players was that each one had such a different perspective on the RSL Family. Grabavoy was the first to really talk about how important the coaches are to the team and to the family in general. Brian Dunseth brought up the coaching staff as well when I spoke to him about the RSL Family. The coaches seem to be really key to creating a positive atmosphere for the players. And that positive atmosphere appears to translate to positive results on the field.

This series on looking at the RSL Family has grown to be so much more than what I originally envisioned. I have now spoken with both former and current RSL players on the subject. I have also spoken with one of the broadcast crew, received some quotes from some academy players and shared some stories from some great fans. I am going to continue to try to bring different perspectives on the RSL Family. But I would love to hear what you think. What does the RSL Family mean to you? Share your thoughts below in the comments section. Or if you would like, send me an email (charles@fromtheupperdeck.com) telling me your story.

RSL Family- Chris Wingert and Thoughts from the Academy

The team is the star.

Photo by James Bosworth
www.rslboz.com

The motto of RSL is something that has permeated throughout the whole organization, even down to the academy level. In truth, this philosophy is the basis for the RSL Family itself. RSL is the anti-LA Galaxy in so many different ways. While LA wants to be the team of stars, RSL wants the team to be the star. Or in other words, a family.

In this edition of my RSL Family series I get the thoughts of Chris Wingert. I was very interested in getting the perspective of a player that has played on multiple teams in his career. I wanted to find out if the RSL Family was truly unique among other teams throughout the league.  I first spoke to him about the comments that Coach Kreis made about the team being so close.

I think in a way its not an accident. The staff has done a real good job of piecing together the puzzle and making sure the personalities, as best they can tell before they come here, are going to fit. And they have done a great job of that. At the same time we have been fortunate that all the new guys, the young guys, have really bought in. And they have really brought a lot to the table. They are not just "yes" men. They have a lot of personality but they really want to buy in to what we have going on here. A few of them have come from situations that maybe wasn't as good. They feel fortunate to be here. I know that is the case with me and a lot of the other guys. It is a fun group to be a part of.

Then I asked about the RSL Family itself and if it was something special and unique here.

I wold agree with that. I am sure that there are other clubs that are great organizations to be a part of as well, but that certainly is the case here. And since I have been around for awhile, and a lot of these guys have, I think we realize that we are fortunate and the grass isn't always greener. We are in a great situation with a great group of not only good players but great people. It is something we want to be a part of. It is one of the reasons that there has been a core group here for a long time.

In hearing these comments a couple of things stood out to me. As I have started to write about this topic, many people have commented on how great a group of guys are that we have here. I would not disagree with that statement in the slightest. I love how Wingert talked about this not being an accident. As the staff are looking for new players, they are not just looking for the best player possible. They are looking for good people that happen to be good at soccer as well.

The other thing that I loved was that Wingert, as well as the other players on the team, understand that they  have something good going on here. They are in a really great situation but more importantly they truly want to be here. And as fans, this makes us love them even more.

One of the facts that I love the most about the RSL Family is that this feeling of family has made its way down to our academy in Arizona. Andy Willilams talked a little bit about it here. I wanted to get a better understanding of what some of the kids at the academy felt about the RSL family. Here are the thoughts of three of the players.

"To me it means that we are as one in everything we do. All these kids are family to me and I would do anything for any one of them." - Justen Glad

"RSL Family means that not only do we live together, but we work hard and sacrifice to achieve all our goals." -Kaleb Goodman

"To me the RSL Family means that we help each other out. We live together, we are basically like brothers. We are as one." -Adam Furguson

Special thanks to Garrett Cleverly for getting these quotes for me.

These comments are awesome. These kids truly get what the RSL Family means. All those people that are involved with the academy should be applauded for this. As players come through the academy and eventually make their way up to the main team they will already have that bond in place. It is only going to make them, and the team stronger.

RSL Family- Sebastian Velasquez

"They're fantastically together."

These were the words that Coach Jason Kreis used to describe his team in the post game press conference after last Friday's big win over the Portland Timbers. It gives us a great look at the camaraderie of the players, which is an aspect of the RSL Family that I have not touched upon in my previous blog posts. "This team is tighter than any other team I have ever been a part of, any team I have ever been a part of, playing or coaching" Kreis said.

With these words in my mind I entered the locker room after the match to talk to some of the players. It was one thing for the coach to talk about the closeness of the team, but did the players feel the same way? I was able to talk to a few of the players and will be posting their comments over the course of the next few days.

The first person I talked to was Sebastian Velasquez. I asked him about what he thought of Kreis' comments as well as the RSL Family in general.

"The good thing is that we have a very good relationship off the field. A lot of us guys will hang out in a whole group. I think that is very important. It keeps us together in the good moments and in the bad moments. Throughout the whole season you are going to have ups and downs. But it is that connection as team mates that helps us to come back up.

 That is something that is very important on this team. That is something we take pride in. We can look to our left and our right and we can say that we are brothers. We are a family. We are here to help each other up. At the end of the year we will hold the cup up. We will hold it as one. As Real Salt Lake. The motto says it all. The team is the star. There are no guys here that think they are bigger or anything. It is a very good atmosphere.

It is something that everybody that comes here will say, that we have a very family-oriented team. It goes from the coaching staff to the players. From the players to the staff that takes care of the field. From the president to the general manager and even to our fans. We have played games in the Open Cup where it was pouring down and the fans are there for us. It gives us that boost to keep going forward to fight for these different cups."

I will be the first to admit that I have no inside knowledge of what any locker rooms are like around the league. But from those that do, it really sounds like RSL has something different. There is a true friendship off the field. And I truly believe that this friendship only leads to success on the field. They are not worried about getting their own stats. They have bought in to the idea that the team is the star.

Or as Coach Kreis best described it, they're fantastically together.

RSL Family Part 4- Fan Spencer Ferrero

What makes a true RSL fan? In my thinking, it is the desire to follow the team through thick and thin wherever you might be. It is the true RSL fans that make up the core of the RSL Family. And just like a normal family, the RSL Family has members spread out all over the country. In today's look at the RSL Family (see here for parts 1, 2, and 3) we take a look at one fans quest to stay a part of the RSL Family even though he lives hundreds of miles away from the team.

I have been a follower of Spencer Ferrero on Twitter for awhile now. I have always respected his thoughts about the team. I asked him if he would be willing to give me this thoughts on the RSL Family. Here was his reply:

I probably need to give some background on my RSL fan experience before my thoughts on what the RSL family means to me.  I was born and raised in SLC and was in my junior year of school at the U of U when RSL began playing.  As a poor college student, I had no hope of affording season tickets, but I went to every game I could during those first trying years.  I finished up my undergrad in December 2006 and immediately started a 1 year master’s degree in accounting.  I knew that once I graduated, a full-time job in the accounting field would give me the means to afford season tickets, so I put down my deposit for the 2008 season tickets on my credit card and anxiously awaited the upcoming season.

Then I accepted a job in Los Angeles.  Bye bye, season ticket dreams.

I did whatever I could to stay in touch with RSL.  I followed blogs.  I read stories.  I watched games online.  I took pictures from the sidelines for RSLFM.com when RSL came to the Home Depot Center (I was fortunate in that my new city had two opponents so that I had multiple opportunities to see the Claret and Cobalt).  I went to games at the RioT whenever I made it back to SLC.  I've written a couple of fan columns for rslsoapbox.com.  I've been very active on Twitter in meeting and keeping in touch with fellow fans.  I even played indoor soccer with some of the guys when I was back in SLC for Thanksgiving.  Why?

RSL gives me a connection back to my roots.  It also unites the state in a way that no other team or sport does.  Where else would you find Ute fans and Cougar fans united in their cheers and jeers?  Where else would you find the most uptight Mormon and the wildest hooligan urging the same figures on to victory at the same time?

RSL has even made a soccer fan out of my wife.  The first picture of me that she showed her family when we started dating was me at MLS Cup 2009, yelling in joy after the game.  At the time, she didn't follow soccer at all.  Now, she’s a great fan.

I played soccer when I was a kid.  My time as a missionary in Chile planted a love for the game in my heart.  RSL has nurtured it and grown the seed.  From the lowest times (that 1st season) to the greatest (MLS Cup 2009, which I was glad to attend), it’s been a great ride.

Postscript:  That season ticket deposit wasn't wasted.  Normally it’s non-refundable.  But Spencer Warne managed to turn that deposit into game tickets a couple years later for my then-girlfriend (and now wife) and some of our friends.  Thanks again!

Spencer makes a point in his comments that I had never really thought about before. But he is right on the mark about it. RSL is something that does unites the community in a way no other sport does. Are you a fan of the Red or the Blue? It doesn't matter when it comes to RSL. Mormon family or SLC Punk? English or Spanish? It doesn't matter. We all have our place in the RSL Family, and this is such an important point.

As I continue to write more and more about the RSL Family, the more I am beginning to understand how vital it is for the success of the team. Both on and off the field. Outsiders can see it right away. New fans coming to the games can feel it.  They see how the players interact with the fans and instantly understand that this is different than any other professional sport. They appreciate that. And because of that the RSL Family continues to grow every day.

RSL Family Part 3- Brian Dunseth and Andy Williams

In part 3 of my series on the RSL Family (see part 1 and 2) , I get the perspective of Brian Dunseth and Andy Williams.

I spoke with Dunseth about a variety of different topics about a month ago and I also asked him the same question that I have asked everyone else to this point. "What does the RSL Family mean to you?"

Dunseth has a unique view. As a former player, he played on many different teams in the league. In his broadcast career, he has continued to travel around and has a very good understand what other teams are like. And as the color commentator for the team, he has an inside knowledge of the players and what goes on in the locker room. Here is what he had to say:

"It's very unique and I think what it is is an us vs. them mentality at it's core. This is a club that has never had a lot of money to spend off the field until Dell Loy (Hansen) came in. It's a club that you rarely see on national television. You start with a coaching staff that is all former players; the general manager is a former player, the president is a former GM. You have this built in soccer knowledge of how things should be. How things could be perfect.

Then there are the players, the cornerstones, the Rimando's, the Wingert's, the Beckerman's, the Borchers, the Will Johnson's just to name a few. They created a culture and atmosphere to allow players like Javier Morales to quickly come into the group. The culture is right and now there is an accountability. It is one thing for a coach to hold players accountable. It is another for the players themselves to hold the team accountable. I just think that it is the perfect storm."

In continuing to talk to him, I mention that I thought the RSL Family really changed when the news came out about Andy Williams' wife, Marcia's battle with leukemia. He continued on:

"I think the roots were there and I agree that Andy and Marcia were the spark to make everything a little bit stronger. But again, you have good kids in the locker room. You've got guys that keep their nose clean outside the locker room and in their personal life. They are all just good people.

I have played with a lot of teams and have been around a lot of teams and I can honestly say if I were to choose an organization that I would want to be with long term, it is this organization. That is not to play the homer card, not to play the former player card, it is just honesty. I watch the way that Jason (Kreis) runs practice. I watch the way that Garth (Lagerwey) and Bill (Manning) handle the players off the field. The commitment that Dell Loy has shown financially has been fantastic. There is a built in culture at this point that separates this team from a lot of teams in Major League Soccer."

I recently had the chance to talk to Andy Williams about his role as the team's head scout (blog post to come). But I also asked him about his thoughts on the RSL family.

"I think it blew up to a bigger deal with my situation with Marcia. I think as a team we were pretty close, but we kind of kept it in house. Once it became public with her situation, the fans and the front office got more and more involved and they opened up a lot more. I think that really kickstarted the entire RSL Family where you have all the fans consider themselves as family. But like what I said before the team is pretty close internally in the locker room and on and off the field. And now it is like RSL Family 2.0."

I mentioned the fact that it is fun to see the RSL Academy kids also refer to themselves as the RSL Family.

"It starts with Jason. When we are down there for preseason with the academy guys they get to mingle with the first team. They get to practice with the first team. The key is that the first team players don't treat them any different. They don't treat them like kids. They are wearing RSL gear and are representing RSL. The kids love that and buy into it. It is like an infectious disease. The fans have taken into it and the entire kids down there have enjoyed it. That is probably one of the reasons that they have been so successful down there."

I just want to thank both Brian and Andy for their thoughts on the subject.

RSL Family Part 2- Fan Natasha Cottrell

In part one of my look at the RSL Family, Coach Kreis made the comment how the fans were just as much a part of the RSL Family as anyone in the organization. It seems like the fans have always had a special relationship with the players. That started from the early years with the club and it continues on today.

As I was preparing to write my original post about the RSL Family, I knew that I would want to get some quotes from RSL fans. I sent out some messages to some of the RSL fans that I knew truly loved this team. I wanted to ask them the same thing I asked Ian Joy. "What does the RSL Family mean to you?"

One of the people I sent a request to was Natasha Cottrell. Now I had never really talked to Natasha before, but having followed her on Twitter I felt she would be a good person to ask. The email she sent back to me was amazing. Once again I could not imagine just taking a quote or two out of her whole email. It was just so emotional and powerful that I asked Natasha's permission to post the whole thing. Thankfully she said yes.

My story is kind of a long one...but I will make it kinda short!!! lol We are blessed with the greatest bunch of guys ever from coaching staff to players! We've been fans for about 6 years now. Here's how our love and obsession with Real Salt Lake happened...my husband passed away from suicide in 2004. My kids and I had a very hard time for about 3 years. There's always a lot of blame with suicide and that's what happened to us...my kids played soccer their entire lives, with my husband as their coaches! They each played for about 6 years! But once he died, they gave it all up! They just didn't want to play and have a good time without him here. Some how we managed to make it to 2009! That same year, my doctors found I had some tumors. So my kids we're faced with losing the only parent they had left!! So we waited for the autopsy results to come back...which fortunately came back as benign!!! I was taking some anti cancer drugs and was unable to attend any games that year. Watching RSL win the 2009 MLS Cup championship on TV changed our lives. It made us long to attend our first RSL game! In 2010...we attend almost every home game. We became season ticket holders in 2011. I still don't have tickets for all of us to come only 2 per game. In 2012, my daughter was raped. Fortunately for her, she had this team. She gets excited for game day and holding her scarf up, chanting for our team to win! So you ask "What does this team mean to me?" I've seen a team pull her out of her fear, anger and sadness. We go to practices and the guys know us! They come over and talk to us, they message with us on Twitter and Facebook. A bunch of guys who aren't paid to be our friends...but take the time for us, to make us happy! I don't mind supporting a bunch of guys like that! These guys are like family to us. We love them...this is our team!!! I am glad the coaching staff brings good guys here...the kind of guys I am honored to have as my kids heroes!!!!! A bunch of guys I will yell my lungs out for and scream til I am hoarse!!! I'm here for RSL!

First I would like to thank Natasha again for her willingness to share her and her family's story. I know that her words really touched my heart. I recently had the chance to meet her at an RSL practice and I can say that the RSL Family is better because she is a part of it.

Working on this series of blog posts so far has been really interesting. In the first  two responses that I have posted, very little has been said about the soccer being played on the field. It seems to me that what makes the RSL Family so special is the quality of the people involved. Both Ian and Natasha have been uplifted by the people involved with this team. It will be interesting to see as I continue to get comments from all aspects of the organization if this running theme continues.

What do you think? What does the RSL Family mean to you? I would love to see more comments on the topic. 

The RSL Family Part 1- Ian Joy

About a month ago, there was an excellent article written about RSL by Matt Doyle. One of the things that really stood out to me was how the players always refer to themselves as a family. A couple weeks later Liviu Bird wrote another great article about RSL. In this article, it went even farther in talking about the family aspect of the team. But in thinking about it, the RSL Family is way more than the camaraderie among the players.

The RSL Family permeates throughout the whole organization: from the front office, to the players, to the fans and even all the way down to the RSL academy. If you want to see a great example go to twitter and do a hash tag search for either #RSLfam or #RSLfamily. You will find tweets from many fans, of course, but you will also find many players, academy players, and even the main RSL twitter feed using the hash tags.

I think Jason Kreis said it best in a quote found in the Liviu Bird article. "We've done everything we can to make this club more than just a soccer club. We believe that it's a family. That starts in the locker room, but it proceeds out into the management, it proceeds out to the people that work in our club, it proceeds out even further than that, to all our fans. We truly think that they're all part of our family."

As I continued to think about it, I decided that I would write a post about the RSL Family. Not that I have a lot of experience with other teams around the league, but my thinking was that we have something very different here with the family feel of the team. I thought it would be interesting to get the perspective of a wide range of people from all aspects of the team. I began going to various people and asked them "What does the RSL family mean to you?"

When I started to get responses back I was pretty blown away. Many of the responses were very emotional and heart felt.  And at that point, the scope of my blog post changed. One post was not going to do justice to this topic. So instead of just one post, this is the first of an ongoing series that I will be writing on the topic of the RSL Family and what it means to people.

One of the perspectives that I wanted to get was that of a former player. I contacted former RSL defender Ian Joy to see if he would be willing to tell me his thoughts on the RSL Family. He graciously wrote me back his thoughts. Instead of just pulling out some quotes from his email, I felt I would just include his whole response.

The RSL family is something very special.

I believe a lot of clubs around the league strive to be like Real Salt Lake simply because of the way they act.

When The gaffer (Jason) took over as boss he made changes within the club immediately & the most important change he made was within the locker room mentality. He wanted to have a team of winners but that was never going to be easy to get.

Garth is key to RSL's success he is the man who travels the world, meeting players & club officials & he is the one who pulls the deals together. Jason gives his stamp if approval to every single deal.

Before you get to sign for Real Salt Lake Jason will go into great detail to find out exactly what kind of person you are off the field. This is Vital to RSL's success. You can be the best player in the team but if your personalty or character doesn't fit in with the Locker room the "Team" fails. It's that simple it only takes 1 bad apple to upset the compete atmosphere within the squad, Making it much harder to succeed.

Jason has an incredible talent of assembling a squad of players that will look each other in the eye everyday knowing that each player will do anything possible to win for the person next to them. Every single training session became like a war zone because we all wanted to win.

I'd never seen a squad full of players who got on so well with each other off the field than at RSL. It was/is something very special for everyone involved. Then throw in 2/3 coaches who live & breath the game and you have a recipe for success.

Real Salt lake is blessed to have an incredible backroom of staff that mix with the team every day and they are very important part of the family but the most important part of the family is the fans! The fans are the ones who push & motivate the team to be successful, the fans are the ones who push the team to that next level. The stadium was a big part of bringing us all together and allowing us a platform to showcase our talents & I don't just mean the players on the field! I mean the fans too. The RIOT has become a fortress of noise & passion and I feel very fortunate that I managed to play in front of you incredible fans.

I can only speak for my own personally experiences at RSL and its a time I will never forget. I wasn't going through the best time of my life off the field but the way that the Team, Jason, staff & fans treated me has made me a better person today. For that I will forever hold RSL close to my heart.

IJ

I would like to thank Ian for sharing this with me. I think the last paragraph of his message is the true essence of what the RSL family is and why it is so important to all of us.